Faces

Faces

"Faces" The year of 1968 was a big one for John Cassavetes. Not only did he play Farrow's husband in "Rosemary's Baby," he scored a critical hit with this searing indie film. Though Cassavetes had directed a few films before "Faces," this intimate drama put him on the international map as a filmmaker and created his reputation as a founding father of the independent film movement. The film explores the dissolution of a 14-year marriage of an aging, childless couple: Maria (Lynn Carlin, in her Oscar-nominated turn) and Richard (John Marley). Cassavetes' wife, Gena Rowlands, plays a high-class prostitute, and Seymour Cassel received an Oscar nomination for his performance as the laid-back Chet whom Maria meets at a disco. Cassavetes, who was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay, shot the film at his own home and at his mother-in-law's. Though the film has influenced many directors, including Martin Scorsese and Sean Penn, not all critics raved about it. Pauline Kael said: "There are scenes in 'Faces' so dumb, so crudely conceived and so badly performed that the audience practically burns incense."

"Faces" The year of 1968 was a big one for John Cassavetes. Not only did he play Farrow's husband in "Rosemary's Baby," he scored a critical hit with this searing indie film. Though Cassavetes had directed a few films before "Faces," this intimate drama put him on the international map as a filmmaker and created his reputation as a founding father of the independent film movement. The film explores the dissolution of a 14-year marriage of an aging, childless couple: Maria (Lynn Carlin, in her Oscar-nominated turn) and Richard (John Marley). Cassavetes' wife, Gena Rowlands, plays a high-class prostitute, and Seymour Cassel received an Oscar nomination for his performance as the laid-back Chet whom Maria meets at a disco. Cassavetes, who was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay, shot the film at his own home and at his mother-in-law's. Though the film has influenced many directors, including Martin Scorsese and Sean Penn, not all critics raved about it. Pauline Kael said: "There are scenes in 'Faces' so dumb, so crudely conceived and so badly performed that the audience practically burns incense."

"Faces" The year of 1968 was a big one for John Cassavetes. Not only did he play Farrow's husband in "Rosemary's Baby," he scored a critical hit with this searing indie film. Though Cassavetes had directed a few films before "Faces," this intimate drama put him on the international map as a filmmaker and created his reputation as a founding father of the independent film movement. The film explores the dissolution of a 14-year marriage of an aging, childless couple: Maria (Lynn Carlin, in her Oscar-nominated turn) and Richard (John Marley). Cassavetes' wife, Gena Rowlands, plays a high-class prostitute, and Seymour Cassel received an Oscar nomination for his performance as the laid-back Chet whom Maria meets at a disco. Cassavetes, who was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay, shot the film at his own home and at his mother-in-law's. Though the film has influenced many directors, including Martin Scorsese and Sean Penn, not all critics raved about it. Pauline Kael said: "There are scenes in 'Faces' so dumb, so crudely conceived and so badly performed that the audience practically burns incense."